


Underneath the Mistletoe

by spider_boi



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, F/M, Family Drama, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, first bucky fic so please be nice lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-23 09:17:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17077562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spider_boi/pseuds/spider_boi
Summary: Modern Day!AU; The holidays are approaching and the reader has to attend her family’s annual Christmas weekend. Due to some choice words from her mother, she accidentally mentions a new man in her life. One that does not exist. Now that she’s being forced to bring her new beau to the weekend, she turns to her best friend, Bucky Barnes, for help. All they have to do is get through the weekend, pretend to be in love, and go home. Easy, right?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> No Bucky in this part yet sorry lol

_Ah. The holiday season._

The time of gift giving, festive dinners and my least favorite of all, large family gatherings.

“Yes, mom. I promise I’ll bring gifts for all the little ones.” I balanced the phone on my shoulder as I tried to pull on my pants and keep the conversation going. My mother and I were discussing details of our annual Christmas weekend with the whole family.

And when I say, the whole family, I mean the whole family. Aunties and uncles, nieces and nephews, granddaughters and grandsons.  _Everyone._  It was going to be a shit show and I was not looking forward to it.

“Okay thank you, honey. Oh, guess what?” Mom exclaimed.

“What?” I finished putting on my jeans and stood in front of the mirror. Placing the phone on speakerphone, I started to run a brush through my hair. I was running extremely late to movie night with my best friend and if I was even a minute late there was no way that Bucky was gonna start it again.

“Your cousin Sarah, got engaged!” Mom said excitedly. I rolled my eyes.

“Really, Sarah? Someone really wanted to marry her?” Cousin Sarah, the angel of the family, pushed me into the pool when we were 9. Fully knowing that I didn’t know how to swim. Dad had basically fished me out of pool.

“Don’t tell me you’re still mad about her pushing you into the pool, Y/N.”

“I’m not, mom. It was just a joke.” I put on a smile and made my voice sound sickly sweet. She didn’t need to know about how Sarah stole my high school boyfriend and left him 3 weeks later for the quarterback.

Mom let out a short snort. “Anyways, she’s getting married and she’s bringing him on the weekend! He’s a big shot novelist from what I hear. Isn’t that great?”

“Yeah, amazing.” I grabbed my phone and walked out into the kitchen. The bag of food that I bought earlier was perched on the kitchen counter, threatening to tumble off. I ran to catch it before it fell.

“Oh, and cousin Leonard is bringing his new baby too. The precious thing. And of course, we can’t forget Aunt Dina. Her 3rd wedding’s in a couple of months and she’s bringing us a couple of her hors d'oeuvre as a teaser for the wedding. Why the woman would do that? Only the Lord knows.” Mom rambled.

I placed the bag back on the counter and sighed exasperatedly. “I know where this conversation is going, mom.”

“Where is it going, honey?” She said, obliviously. 

“You’re gonna tell me all about family or friends who’re in relationships and it’s gonna lead back to my own love life.”

“No, it’s not!” Mom’s voice raised about 4 octaves.

“So, you’re not going to ask at all if I’m seeing someone?” I rested my hand on my waist.

“Maybe, I was going to but that’s not why I mentioned our relatives. I’m simply keeping you up on the family news. But…” Mom trailed off.

“Mom.” I said, sharply.

“Y/N, I just want you to be happy.”

“I don’t need a relationship to be happy.” I ran a hand down my face.

“Yes, I know that.  _I_  taught you that. Don’t forget. But it’s amazing to have someone you can share experiences and go through life with…” I listened to her ramble on about soulmates. She is never going to stop.

“Okay!” Mom stopped her rambling. “I actually have something to tell you.”

“What is it, honey?” Mom sounded way too eager.

“I…I’m actually seeing…someone.” I choked out.

“What? Honey, that’s amazing! What’s their name?”

“His name’s…” I looked up at the small picture of Bucky and I at the local fair on my refrigerator. He was exaggeratedly eating a corn dog while I laughed at him. “…Bucky.”

“Bucky.” Mom repeated. “Does he treat you well?”

“Yes, he does. He makes me very happy.” I picked a bag of chips and opened it, popping a piece into my mouth.

“That’s amazing, sweetheart. I’m so happy for you. How about you bring him over for the weekend?”

As soon as those words came out of the speakers, I started choking on the chip I was eating. I popped open a can of beer and used that to clear my airways. “Oh no. I wouldn’t want to bring him into a big family reunion like that. It would be too weird.”

“Nonsense! It’ll be the perfect time. That way he’ll only have to do the meet the family thing once.”

“Yeah but-”

“Don’t tell me you’re too ashamed of your family to introduce us your boyfriend. Are you?” Mom questioned. I could imagine her with an eyebrow lifted and her arm crossed across her chest.

“Of course, I’m not but-”

“Then that’s great! We’ll see you both this weekend. I’ll make sure to tell everyone so there’s no backing out!”

“Mom!”

“I have to go now, sweetheart. I’ll see you and and your boyfriend Friday night. I love you. Bye bye now.” She hung up before I could say anything else. I stared at my phone screen in shock and gripped my hair tightly into my fists.

_What the fuck am I going to do?_


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we have a bucky!!

Where are those damn keys? 

I juggled the brown paper bag in one hand and my bag in the other. Scrummaging through the contents of my bag, I couldn’t seem to find the keys to Bucky’s apartment. I could hear the sounds of the movie faintly playing inside. I knocked on the wooden door.

A couple of seconds passed and nothing. The movie was still playing. I knocked again and again, nothing.

“Bucky, it’s me! Let me in!” I shouted. Nothing. “Buck, come on!” 

“I’m not stopping the movie! Find a way in.” Bucky’s deep voice pushed through the door. 

“Asshole.” I muttered. I felt around my bag for a hairpin to pick the lock. Mumbling curses, I successfully picked the lock and threw the door open. Keeping my angry gaze on Bucky, I stomped towards the couch and stopped right in front of him. 

Bucky’s full-sleeve tattoo was peeking out from his red henley as his arm was draped across the back of the couch. His long hair was tied back to show more of his face, something he only ever did around me or Steve. Bucky raised a brow at me before smirking. 

“I gotta say this view is quite amazing but I was watching the movie, doll.” Bucky drawled in that Brooklyn accent of his. 

Always the charmer. 

“You really had to make me pick the lock?” I put the bags on the coffee table in front of me and placed my hands on my hips. “You couldn’t have just stood up and walked the 2 feet to the door?” 

“Well, we did say to meet at 7pm and what time is it?” He leaned forward.

“I had a family thing.” I sighed. Bucky’s playful demeanor dropped and now he looked more concerned. 

“Everything alright?” 

“Just...stressed.” I ran a hand through my hair. Bucky patted the space beside him. I rounded the coffee table and plopped myself down on the couch, resting my head on the back. 

“Wanna talk about it?” Bucky leaned back too and turned his head to look at me. I turned my head and met his gaze. 

“You know how much I hate the annual Christmas weekend, right?” 

“You called them the worst 3 days of your life. Even worse than the Spring Break where you woke up in DC with no money to get back to New York.” 

I chuckled. “Yeah.”

“So, what’s up? Did the weekend turn into a week?” Bucky prodded.

“Uh…no. My mom was going off about me not having a love life again. She was talking about cousin Sarah and how she got engaged and aunt Dina and her third marriage and it was just ugh!” I rested my head on Bucky’s shoulder. 

Bucky snaked his arm around me and pulled me to his side. “Don’t you have this talk every time she calls?”

“We do. That’s why I avoid talking to my mother at all costs.” I revelled in the warmth that Bucky gave off. “I just hate that she thinks she can keep butting into my life like that. Plus trying to make me feel guilty that I never bring anyone home for Christmas weekend.”

“You shouldn’t feel guilty.” Bucky squeezed my shoulder. 

“I know I shouldn’t but I do. You should see my mom’s face when she sees another one of my newly engaged or wed cousins. Her eyes get all misty and then she turns to me with a look like ‘I want this for you too’ and it just sucks.” 

“Sorry you have to go through that, doll.” I felt Bucky press his lips against my hair. “Is there anything I can do? Slash the tires of your car so you can’t drive to your parents? Break all your cards and steal your money so you can’t buy a bus ticket?” 

I giggled and looked up at him. Bucky’s eyes were glimmering in amusement and I suddenly felt nervous about how I was going to bring up the whole telling my mom that I was dating him thing. 

“Not any of that but there is something you can do.” I sat up and angled my body so that I was facing him. “You know that I think the world of you and you’re the bestest friend ever right?” 

Bucky furrowed his brows. “What do you need, Y/N?”

“Uh… So when my mom was nagging on about my love life, I might’ve said that I was seeing someone.” 

“You’re seeing someone? Why didn’t you tell me?” Bucky sounded suddenly hurt. 

“I’m not but I said I was.” I explained. Bucky sighed.

“So, what’s the problem?” 

“My mom told me to bring him with me to the weekend.” 

“Uh oh.” 

“And I might have said that the guy I’m seeing is...you.” 

I watched his reaction carefully. His face was unreadable, features were frozen as if he was made of stone. 

“Oh.” Bucky simply said and that’s when I rambled. 

“I didn’t mean to drag you into this. I just-I panicked. I saw our picture on the fridge and it just slipped. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I’ll just tell my mom that you got sick or something. I’ll make something up. Don’t feel-”

“I’ll do it.” Bucky interrupted. 

“What? Really?” I panted, out of breath from my tirade. 

“Yeah, I don’t have anywhere I need to be on Christmas anyways.” Bucky gave me a small smile. 

“Are you sure? You really don’t have to.” I put a hand on his arm. 

“Y/N, it’s fine. You need to get your family off your back and if this helps then I’m happy to be your fake boyfriend.”

A smile pulled across my face and I let out a small squeal. I bounced in my seat and threw my arms around his neck. “Thank you, Buck! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” 

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around my waist. “You’re welcome.”

I loosened my grip on his neck and rested my hands on his shoulders. “Okay, we need to figure what we’re gonna say to say to everyone.” 

“How about we just wing it? We already know everything about each other. I just need to flirt more but that won’t be a problem.” Bucky winked. I shook my head but still smiled at him.

“Really, Buck, thank you.” 

“Anything for you, doll.” He rubbed my waist gently. “I do have one condition.”

“What is it?” 

“You can’t fall in love with me.” Bucky said seriously, well attempted to say seriously. He broke into a smile almost immediately. I laughed loudly, throwing my head back. “I’m serious, Y/N. I’m gonna use some real game on you. You might not be able to resist.” 

“I’m a big girl, Barnes. I think I can handle simple flirting.” I rolled my eyes. 

“Yeah, but you haven’t seen my special Barnes charm in its full capacity yet. I’ve only just shown you a taste of it.” His face was so smug and annoying that I pushed it away with my hand and stood up from the couch. 

“Alright, I have a condition too.” I stood in front of him and he looked up at me, playing along.

“Lay it on me.” 

“You can’t fall in love with me either.” Smiling cockily, I watched his signature Barnes smirk grace his face. 

“I’ll try.”


	3. Chapter 2

“Okay, so we need to grab a few more toys for my nieces and nephews.”

Check. 

Check. 

I ticked off names on my list. Christmas weekends may be annoying but those little angels deserve nothing but happiness during the holidays. The rows of colorful boxes tore my gaze from one toy to another. 

“What would you give a 10 year old boy?” I called over my shoulder. When no answer came, I turned around to see no one following me. “Buck?” 

“Wait!” I heard a faint yell. The rolling wheels of the shopping cart and an occasional grunt were heard until Bucky turned the corner. “Did you really have to get 3 Kitchen Aids?”

“I have to get one for my mom, grandma and aunt.” I shrugged. Bucky pushed the hair out of his face and looked at me exasperatedly. 

“Do you know how heavy that cart is?” He huffed. 

“No, but that’s why I have my big, hunky fake boyfriend to push it for me.” I winked at him. “So, you didn’t answer my question about the gift.” 

“Well, I couldn’t really hear you over the sound of blood rushing through my ears because of the physical exertion.”

“You are such a drama queen. So, what do you think? Robot or action figure?” I pulled the boxes from the shelf and showed it to Bucky.

“Action figure.” He pointed at the box in my right hand. I dropped the box into the cart and checked off another name off the list. I continued my way down the shelves and Bucky followed me quietly. 

“So, how many kids are you buying toys for?” 

“About 15. My cousin’s got really busy the past couple of years. If you know what I mean.” I turned around and wiggled my brows suggestively. Bucky shook his head.

“Come on. Let’s finish up because my my arms feel like their about to fall off.” Bucky groaned and started pushing. I walked alongside him and placed my hands on the cart, helping him push. “What’re you doing, doll?” 

“Helping you push. It’s easier to have two people push.” I elbowed him. We took turns putting toys in the cart until we finally picked gifts for all the kids. I checked out all the shopping and helped Bucky load my car. We drove off, far away from the mall as per Bucky’s request. 

“I never want to be anywhere near a mall ever again.” Bucky complained.

“With me in your life, I don’t think that’s possible.” 

“Guess, I’ll have to get rid of you.” Even without looking at him, I could see his grin. I slowed the car down as we approached a red light.

“Thank you for coming with me.” I turned to him.

“It’s no problem, doll. It’s what any good boyfriend would do.”  

“But seriously, thank you. I know I’ve said it a million times now but I mean it. For this...Agreeing to this whole thing.” I played with my fingers, suddenly a little nervous. Bucky’s hand came to stop my fiddling.

“Y/N, I know. You don’t have to keep saying it. I want to do this. I wanna help you.” He squeezed my hand. I looked into his distractingly blue eyes and felt the sincerity of his words. I opened my mouth but he interrupted me. “But if you say ‘thank you’ one more time, I will tell your whole family about that time you got blackout drunk and got up on the bar, singing ‘Don’t Cha’.” 

My eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.” 

“Fine. I won’t say it.” I smiled at him. Bucky’s thumb was rubbing the back of my hand and he was looking at me so sweet that I had this weird feeling in my gut.

“Good. I’m with you ‘til the end of the line, doll.” His eyes gleamed in amusement. 

“That’s yours and Steve’s line.” 

“Yeah but the sentiment still stays.” Bucky brought his hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it. My gut had that weird feeling again. “Green light.” 

He let go of my hand to let me continue driving. I shifted the gear and drove off. “I still feel like I owe you something, though. How about I treat you for a coffee at Steve’s?” 

“Free coffee? You really know the way to my heart.”

* * *

 

**Bucky’s** **POV**  
  


“Rogers! Where are you? I need coffee!” Y/N shouted into the barely full coffee shop. It was the lull time of the day. There were only a few college kids on laptops and a few couples who all looked in our direction the moment Y/N opened her mouth. 

“What did I tell you about yelling inside, Y/N?” Steve came out from the back. 

“To yell louder.” Y/N sassed. Steve rolled his eyes. 

“Hey, Buck.” He nodded at me. 

“Hey, pal.” 

“Mind getting us two coffees, Steve?” Y/N handed him a couple of bills. 

“Will you stop yelling every time you come in here?” Steve took the bills. 

“Probably not.” The girl smirked. I let out a choked laugh but schooled my features when Steve looked at me. 

“Don’t encourage her, Barnes.” He gave me a serious look.

“Sorry Steve but he’s gotta be on my side now. That’s a boyfriend’s job.” Y/N weaved her arms around my waist. Steve looked shocked and turned to me. 

“You guys- what?” Steve stammered and that’s when Y/N let out a loud laugh.

“Oh my god, Stevie your face!” She said in between giggles. God, she was so pretty when she laughed and she felt so warm wrapped around me like this. “I’m bringing Bucky to my family’s annual Christmas weekend where he’ll be playing the role of my boyfriend to get my mother off my back.” 

“Oh, so the two of you aren’t really together?” Steve spoke mostly to me. 

“Mhmm.” I mumbled. “Hey, doll. Why don’t you go find us a table? I have to talk to Stevie about something. I’ll bring us the coffee.” 

Y/N nodded and waved at Steve. I watched her walk away and when she was far from hearing distance, I turned back to Steve who was putting the bills into the register. 

“So, fake boyfriend?”

“Yup.” 

“And you think that’s going to be a good idea?” He questioned. Steve started pouring our coffee into mugs.

“It’s just a weekend.” I answered shortly.

“You’ve been in love with that girl for 3 years and you think pretending to date her is going to help those feelings go away?” 

“You also forget that I’ve been hiding it for 3 years too. We’ve basically been flirting the whole time we’ve known each other anyways.” I argued.

“But this is going to be different. She’ll be introducing you to her family as  _ her boyfriend _ . It’ll be everything that you want and yet be nothing at all.” Steve handed me the mugs. 

“But it’ll be something.” I mumbled. Steve’s eyes softened.

“Why don’t you just tell her?” 

“I’m not good for her.” I held the mugs in my hand, feeling the warmth from them heat my cold hands. 

“If you weren’t good, she wouldn’t have stayed around you for this long.” Steve placed a hand on my shoulder. “I just don’t want any of you to get hurt.” 

I nodded and smiled at my longest friend. “Better get this back before she starts yelling again.” 

“God, can you talk to her about that. She listens to you.” Steve sighed exasperatedly. 

“I’ll do my best, bud.” I laughed. Giving him a small salute, I picked up the mugs and brought them over to Y/N who was talking to someone on her phone. She quickly ended the call with a roll of her eyes. She looked up at me and gave me a stunning smile. 

“Who was that?” I asked. 

“Nat. She was asking about our shopping trip. So, what did you and Steve talk about?” She made grabby hands at the coffee. 

“Your yelling.” I smirked at her. Her excited face turned sour and she glared at Steve. I lifted the mug away from her grasp and she gasped. “No coffee until you promise that you won’t yell in Steve’s shop.” 

“Traitor.” She whispered. “Fine, I promise. Hear that Steve! I’m not gonna yell anymore!” 

“You just did, Y/N.” Steve sounded so defeated that I had to laugh.

“I guess you earned this.” I finally gave her the warm mug. She let out a little squeal and took a sip. She looked so happy with her eyes shining and smile wide. My little doll. Maybe Steve was right. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

“You alright?” Her soft voice pulled me out of my trance. She was so lovely and pure. And she needed my help. Who was I to deny her that? I gave her a small smile and nodded. 

_ Forget your feelings, Barnes. _

* * *

 

**Y/N’s POV**

 

I scrolled through Instagram while waiting for Bucky to come back with the coffee. In the middle of stalking someone’s profile, my phone began to ring. 

Nat 💋

I pressed the green button and pressed the phone against my ear. 

“Hey.”

“Hi. What have you been up to today?” Her raspy voice resounding in my head. 

“Just some last minute Christmas shopping with Buck.” 

“Are you still asking him to do the fake boyfriend thing?” I heard rustling on her side of the line. She must be packing for that holiday trip she and Steve were going on. 

“As if I have a choice.” I stated, playing with the edge of the napkin on the table. Nat made a ‘humph’ sound. “What was that about?” 

“You say you have no choice but you do.” Nat’s voice held the usual playful tone.

“And what choice would that have been, Nat?” 

“Well,” Nat started. “You could have asked anyone since your mother hasn’t met James before.” 

“Yeah, but I trust Bucky.” I mumbled. 

“And you also trust Sam and Pietro.” 

“Bucky’s different.” I looked up at him and watched him talk intently with Steve.

“Aha! See there it is!” Nat exclaimed.

“What is?” I asked, confused.

“‘Bucky’s different.’” She mocked me. “You always talk about him in that way.” 

“What exactly are you trying to insinuate, Romanoff?” 

“That you’re in love with Barnes. It’s painfully obvious.” 

“I-I’m not. He’s just a good friend.” I defended myself.

“A good friend that you immediately thought of when you had to lie to your mother about seeing someone. Trust me Y/N, I know these things.” She was scarily observant and intuitive but I didn’t need her spy-like tactics. I was not in love with Bucky. 

“Whatever, Nat. I gotta go.” I quickly tried to end the call when I glanced at Bucky coming to me. “He’s coming this way. I’ll talk to you soon.” 

“See ya, Mrs. Barnes.” She cheekily said. I rolled my eyes and hung up. 

Bucky walked towards me with two cups in his hand. His hair falling on top of his eyes, the blues shining through the dark curtains. He really was so beautiful. And sweet. And charming. 

_ Wait, what? _

I found myself smiling at him. He stopped right in front of me.

“Who was that?” He asked.

“Nat. She was asking about our shopping trip. So, what did you and Steve talk about?” 

_ What the hell is going on with me? _


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is actually stupidly long oh my god

I pulled up on my parent’s street. I could see my old house with a bunch of my family hanging around on the lawn.  _ Dad’s probably fuming right now. _ Bucky was sitting beside me, asking about the house. I paid him no attention and pulled up a couple of houses away. Turning off my car, I turned in my seat to face Bucky.

“Is this your house?” He said, pointing at the house we parked in front of. 

“No, it’s that one over there.” I cocked my head in the direction of the house. 

“Then why are we parking here?” 

“I wanna give you a last way out. If you wanna back out now, it’s completely fine.” I stated. Could I really lie to my whole family like this? How could I have dragged Bucky into this? 

“Y/N,” Bucky cupped my face in his hands. I could feel my cheeks heating up. “I’m all in. We’ll make it through the weekend. I got you.” 

“Okay.” I sighed. He pulled me close and leaned almost as if he was going to kiss me. Bucky tilted his head and placed a feather-light kiss to my cheek. My heart was racing and I didn’t know why I wasn’t pulling away. I put my hand on top of his. “Buck?” I whispered when he wasn’t moving back.

“I think I see some of your cousins watching us. Better start the show now, right?” Bucky pulled away but placed one last kiss on my forehead. 

“Y-yeah.” I stuttered. Glancing out the window, I realized Bucky was right. A few of my cousins were not so subtly looking into my car. Couldn’t even wait til we got inside. “We should go in there or they’re coming in here.”

Bucky nodded. The parking spot in front of my house was empty so I decided to park there. Right in front of all my relatives, I would be parading my ‘boyfriend’ for everyone to see. Smart thinking on my part. I killed the engine and turned to Bucky. 

“Ready?” He asked me. 

“I should be asking you that.” I sighed.

“Well, I am.” 

“Okay, let’s go.” Unlocking the doors, we both stepped out of the car. A pair of arms immediately wrapped around my legs which caused me to brace onto the hood of my car. Twisting my body, I saw who was clinging onto my legs for dear life. 

“Auntie Y/N!” My little niece, Suzie, squealed. I laughed and scooped her up in my arms. Her long red curls bounced in the air.

“Hi there, sweetheart! How are you?” Suzie hugged me tightly. 

“I lost two of my teeth!” She smiled widely, giving me a good view of her missing two front teeth. 

“Oh my, gosh!” I exclaimed. “You’re a big girl now!”

“Yes, I am.” She tilted her chin up. 

“But you’re still a baby to me.” I blew raspberries into her neck, making the little girl giggle loudly. 

“Auntie Y/N?” Suzie became timid all of a sudden. 

“Yes?” 

“Who’s that?” She pointed behind me. Turning, I smiled at who she was pointing at.

“That’s my boyfriend.” I was shocked at how easy those words came out of my mouth. Bucky was pulling out bags out of the trunk when he looked up at us. 

“He looks like Prince Eric.” She whispered not so quietly that it made me laugh.

“He kinda does. You wanna meet him?” Suzie nodded. I walked her over to Bucky who was smiling widely as we approached him. 

“Hey, doll. Who’s this?” Bucky snaked an arm around my waist and smiled warmly at Suzie. 

“This is Suzie, my niece. Say hi.” The little girl in my arms timidly mumbled a ‘hi’ and hid her face against my neck. Bucky chuckled. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Suzie. My name’s Bucky.” He put out his hand for her to shake. Suzie looked at it and back up at me. I nodded and she grasped Bucky’s hand. Bucky shook her hand gently. “You know, you remind me of someone?” 

“I do?” Suzie spoke up now. 

“Yeah. You remind me of that princess, what’s her name again? Ariel!” Bucky snapped his fingers. “That’s right you remind me of Ariel!” 

Suzie’s eyes went wide and I looked over at Bucky. His eyes were shining as he looked at Suzie. “I do?” 

“Yes, you do. You have the exact same hair as her. You’re basically a princess yourself!” Bucky pointed at her hair. Suzie gasped and was practically shaking in excitement. She threw herself at Bucky and wrapped her little arms around his neck. Bucky rubbed her back. I put her down on the ground and she took off running to probably tell her mom about Auntie Y/N’s boyfriend who thought she was a princess. 

“Looks like you’ve got the approval of the most important family member.” I perched my chin on his shoulder. He looked down at me and kissed the tip of my nose, making me giggle like a damn schoolgirl.  _ Steady, Y/N, Steady.  _ Bucky was selling the relationship thing so well and here I was playing the lovesick idiot. Well, maybe it makes sense for me to act like this. But...

“So, is the worst part over?” 

“Unfortunately, you haven’t met the adults yet.” 

“Ah, right. I forgot that I had to impress more than little children.”

“I wish we only had to deal with children.” Bucky squeezed my waist. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.” We gathered our bags and walked over to the gates of hell, I mean, the white wooden patio of my old house. 

“Y/N!” A voice called out to me. The voice belonging to no other than cousin Sarah herself. I pushed down the insults that were starting to surface the moment my eyes landed on her.

“Sarah! Hi!”  _ That sounded enthusiastic enough, right? _

“How have you been?” She hugged me.

“Great, great. How about you?” 

“I’m good. Just got engaged!” She showed off her big shiny ring.  _ Man, how many carats is that? _

“What? Congratulations!” 

“Yeah, it was super romantic. Dan took us to the…” I had tuned out at that point and just politely nodded at her. She didn’t seem to notice that I wasn’t paying attention though. A couple of minutes passed and she finally finished. “Isn’t he the greatest?”

“The greatest.” I choked through my teeth. “So, where is the lucky man?”

“Oh, he’s out back with Dad. Bonding and whatnot. I’ll introduce you later.” I couldn’t wait for that. “But what I wanna know is… who is that big hunk of a man that you were all cozied up with?” She wiggled her brows. 

Show time. 

“Oh, that’s my boyfriend. Bucky.” I looked back at him. Bucky was staying far away from us and was looking around awkwardly. Mentally slapping myself for leaving him alone in a new place, I stuck out my hand for him to take. He easily slipped his hand into mine, our fingers intertwining easily. “Sarah, this is Bucky. Bucky, this is my cousin, Sarah.” I introduced.

“Nice to meet you.” Bucky dropped the bags in his other hand and shook Sarah’s hand without ever letting go of me. 

“Nice to meet you, too. I haven’t ever heard of Y/N seeing someone.” Sarah smiled but I didn’t miss the way she was eating Bucky with her eyes. 

_Some things never change…_

Wait, why am I suddenly feeling so weird about Sarah eyeing Buck?

“We’ve been keeping things on the low for a while.” I stated. “We only now decided to go public.” 

“Ah.” Sarah reacted but still kept her eyes on Bucky but I felt his eyes trained on me. He squeezed my hand. 

“Hey, Sarah. I think I should go say hi to mom and dad. I’ll talk to you later!” I pulled Bucky into the house without even a second glance at my dear cousin. Once we were in the clear, I cursed silently. “God, she’s so annoying.”

“So, that was the cousin, huh?” Bucky’s voice held a joking tone.

“Yeah… you ready to meet my parents?” I asked.

“Yup.”

Hand in hand, we walked further into the house. We were stopped a few times to say hello to some relatives I didn’t even recognize. At one point, I had to pry Aunt Dina who refused to let go of Bucky’s hand. Finally, we made it to the kitchen where my mom and dad had their backs to the entrance while they prepared food together. 

“Hey mom. Hey dad.” I called out to them. They turned around at the same time and two different reactions came from my parents. 

“Y/N!” My mom came running towards me and threw her arms around me. “I’ve missed you so much, darling!” 

She cupped my cheeks in her hands and looked me over with tears in her eyes. No matter how hard she was on me, she was still my mom. “I missed you too, mom.” She smiled widely. “Hi, dad.” 

“Y/N.” He nodded to me. His back stayed glued to the counter, watching us intently. Dad’s eyes flickered to Bucky. 

“This must be Bucky.” Mom turned to the man of the hour. “It’s so nice to meet you. This is the first time Y/N’s brought a man home so you must be very special.” 

“I hope so but I do know your daughter is.” Bucky was already turning on the charm. After returning the hug my mother gave him, he turned to my father. He approached him and stuck his hand out. “Sir, it’s a pleasure to meet you. James Buchanan Barnes.” 

Bucky’s serious tone took me aback. I had never heard him speak that way. Dad studied Bucky. I could basically hear all the scrutinizing he was doing in his head. A couple of seconds passed and Bucky was looking uncomfortable. 

_ Come on, Dad. _

Eventually, he nodded and shook Bucky’s hand but said nothing. Better than nothing.

“How was the drive up?” Mom squeezed my forearm. An attempt at smalltalk to get the tension in the air to drop. Bucky found his way back to my side.

“It was fine.” Silence. “Hey mom, it was a long ride up. I thought Bucky and I might get some rest before all the festivities.” 

“Oh, yes! Of course! I put the both of you in your old bedroom so you guys can go up and freshen up.” Mom basically pushed the two of us upstairs. She waved at us before heading back into the kitchen.

“Your mom seems sweet.” Bucky took the bags in my hand and carried them for me. I lead him to my old room. 

“Ha! Just wait until she gets a few wines into her. She doesn’t seem so sweet anymore.” I pushed the door open and plopped down on my bed. Bucky dropped our bags in front of the bed before laying down beside me.  “You were great out there.” 

“Thanks you too.” 

“No really. You should win an Academy award for that performance.” I turned to him.  

“I had a good fellow actor so I should thank her in my acceptance speech.” Bucky lifted his hand, waiting for me to hold it. I slipped my fingers easily through his again. “So, I’ll be sleeping on the floor okay.” 

“What? Buck, no. You can sleep with me.” Bucky immediately had a toothy grin on his face. “You know what I mean.”

“Just a couple of minutes of us acting like a couple and you’re already hot and bothered? I thought you weren’t easy, doll?” He placed our hands on his chest and I could feel the steady beat of his heart. I rolled my eyes at him.

“It’s better for us to sleep on the bed just in case someone, my mother, decides to check up on us in the middle of the night.” I laid on my side to fully face him.

“Alright.” Bucky turned as well. “I still think it’s cause you wanna get into my pants.” 

“You wish.” 

“So, what sort of festivities do your folks do?” 

“Well, we do a couple of rounds of capture the flag. Some weird family tradition that I don’t even remember how it started but we all play it in the backyard. That’s going to happen in a while so you better get changed out of that outfit. It does get pretty intense.” I picked on his a loose thread on his shirt. “Then after we just order a pizza and chillout for the rest of the night and everyone’s goes to whatever hotel they checked into and we meet them for breakfast in my grandparents’ favorite restaurant tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a pretty busy itinerary.” Bucky was tracing small circles on the back of my hand. 

“Yeah. We take the holidays very seriously. So, that also means we should get changed for capture the flag.” I quickly got up when his blue-eyed stare was getting too much for me. I looked into my old closet and found some old school shirts and leggings that I was sure I wasn’t going  to miss if I ruined them. Bucky was still watching my every move, I could feel his eyes following me. 

I faced him and raised my brows. “I’m not kidding about capture the flag. You really should change.” 

“What is it with capture the flag?”

* * *

 

A rush of wind blew past me as Dan ran, the red bandana of my team clutched in his fist. I quickly ran after him, ducking underneath my other cousins’ grabbing hands. A couple other of my relatives ran with me all catching up to Dan but they were no match for Bucky who ran faster than all of us, easily tackling Dan to the ground.

Hey, no rules in our capture the flag. 

I sped up my pace and grabbed the flag from Dan who was clutching his arm. From the corner of my eye, I saw my uncle Rob running back to our side of the backyard biting a blue bandana in his mouth. Our whole team was cheering and jumping as he threw the bandana on the ground with an animalistic growl. Suddenly, my feet weren’t on the ground anymore as Bucky lifted me into the air. He spun us around and I laughed loudly, clutching onto his neck for support. 

“You weren’t wrong about capture the flag. That was intense.” Bucky placed me back on the ground but kept his arms firmly wrapped around my waist. I was pressed against his chest and our faces were so close together. 

“I told you. And you almost didn’t want to change out of that red henley you always wear. God knows you need to throw that out since it’s almost ripping at the seams anyways.” I toyed with the ends of his hair at the back of his head.

“That henley has seen it all. I’m not throwing it out just because a pretty dame’s telling me to.” He rubbed his nose against mine that I didn’t even have time to process what he called me. I was too distracted by the affection he was giving me.

“Hey, lovebirds! We got pizza inside!” Sarah called out to us. Bucky pulled back and squatted down in front of me. I hopped on his back and he ran us inside the house. 

“Barnes!” My uncle Rob called out to Bucky. He set me down by the counter with all the pizza boxes. “That was a great tackle you did out there. I’m sure Danny here’s gonna feel that for weeks!” Uncle Rob slapped Dan’s back and my cousin’s fiance let out a strangled laugh. I’m pretty sure he made a face too. Welcome to the family, Dan.

“Thank you, sir. Hoped that college football training would come in handy one day.” I handed Bucky a piece of pepperoni pizza. 

“You played?” My dad spoke up out of nowhere. Bucky straightened up.

“Yes, sir. Linebacker.” That was extremely obvious. Bucky was built like a tree, no one got past him on the field. He took a bite out of the pizza while he came behind me to wrap an arm around me, keeping me close to him. I allowed myself time to ogle- I mean, study Bucky. 

Some of his hair was sticking to his face due to the sweat and his cheeks were slightly flushed red. His pupils were slightly dilated from the adrenaline. Against my back, I could feel the muscles in his arms flexing. 

Why was I breathing so hard?

“You have dog tags. Did you serve?” My other uncle Shane asked.

“I was a sergeant in the 107th for two tours. I’ve since left the force but I still volunteer in the V.A. sometimes. Keeping the fellow vets in shape and all.” 

“That’s how we met actually. I was visiting a friend at the V.A. and he introduced us and here we are.” I said. 

_ Not a total lie. _

I did meet Bucky at the V.A. and I did meet him through a friend. Steve. He and Bucky served together. Steve had retired early while Bucky stayed a year longer. It was Bucky’s first therapy session and he wasn’t looking too well so I invited him along with Steve and I to coffee. 

And the rest is history.

“That is quite impressive, son.” Uncle Rob patted Bucky’s shoulder much lighter than he did with Dan. “You taking care of our Y/N?” 

“He is uncle Rob.” I pressed myself tighter to Bucky’s side. 

“I take care of her as much as I can but I gotta say she’s done more for me than I do for her. Those years in service it, uh...it takes a toll on a guy and she’s been so incredible. She’s my rock.” Bucky looked down at me with such sincerity in his eyes that I didn’t know if he was still acting or not. I blinked in response, not really knowing what to say to that so I decided to let my actions speak for me instead. Lifting up into my tiptoes, I pressed a kiss onto his cheek. 

“I’m very lucky to have him life.” I mumbled. Bucky’s mouth opened a bit as if he was going to say something. 

“That is so romantic.” My mother gushed. Our little spell broke and we tore our eyes away from each other. Mom had her hands on her hands and looked so happy that she might cry. Dad stood beside her and had a shadow of a smile on his face. 

A couple of hours passed of me basically plastered on Bucky’s side and wondering what the hell happened in the kitchen. The rest of the family said their ‘goodbyes’ and ‘see you tomorrows’. After a while, it was only just me, Buck and my parents. 

“Today was fun but I gotta say honey, the both of you smell like grass and dirt. You should go clean up. We’ll see you in the morning.” Mom stated. I could see why she wanted us gone. We both still had patches of dirt on our clothes and arms. “I would give you both a hug good night but I don’t really want to.”

I laughed and blew her a kiss instead. “Good night, mom.” 

“Good night, honey. Bucky, hope you get a good night’s sleep. Y/N can get quite restless when she’s asleep. Moves around the bed like a clock.” She made a circular motion with her hands.

“Mom!”  I complained.

“It’s true!” I covered my face with my hands and Bucky laughed.

“I’ll be sure to watch out for some flying limbs. Good night ma’am, sir.” He nodded at both my parents.

“Night, dad.” I waved to him. He waved back with a small smile on his face. We walked upstairs and quickly took turns showering. When we both finished, we laid down beside each other. Extremely tired from the day’s activities. 

“I’d say today was a success.” Bucky spoke up.

“I’d say it was too. You definitely charmed the pants off of some of my aunts.” I stared at the ceiling so I wouldn’t focus on the fact that Bucky was so close beside me. In my bed.

“Your family’s fun. I missed going to these types of things, you know, ever since my folks…” Bucky trailed off. I grasped his hand and squeezed. 

“I’m glad you had a good time.” 

“Everything that I said a while ago. I just want you to know that I mean it. You are my rock, Y/N. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He squeezed my hand.

“I meant what I said too.” 

Bucky looked deep into my eyes and nodded. “Good night, doll.”

“Good night, Buck.”


End file.
